Santa Cruz County Local News: Health


All Local Health News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI

Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.

Image caption: The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

Image caption: From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis

Almost one million California residents are forced to drink from contaminated water supplies, or pay for bottled water. Economic inequality makes the crisis worse. What is the state doing to fix it?

Image caption: Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California

Life expectancy in California exceeds all but three other states, but how long you live depends on which county you live in. They're not all equal. Why? The answer may lie in political policies.

Image caption: Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

Image caption: Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population

The pesky mosquito can be deadly as well as annoying. Here’s how local governments in California have been waging war on mosquitoes for more than a century.

Image caption: California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained

California will soon add a new emergency hotline service with the number 988. Here’s the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.

Image caption: States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained

Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health, even to suspend laws and commandeer private property. Here’s why, and how it works.

KSQD logo From KSQD...

02/07/2025
Image for display with article titled Code Blue: Nurses on the Frontline – Talk of the Bay

On this episode of Talk of the Bay host PK Hattis is joined by nurses from Dominican Hospital who staged a picket last week in protest of chronic staffing shortages and a lack of investment from hospital ownership Dignity Health and parent company CommonSpirit Health.

Press Banner logo From Press Banner...

02/07/2025
Image for display with article titled Scotts Valley High School Wellness Center Opens With Focus on Mental Health

In the three years since Mateo Deihl took his life, after experiencing unkind treatment while attending the school, a student-led Hope Squad was established, initiatives to stamp-out racism and bullying were launched, and $1 million was secured from the federal government for a campus Wellness Center—the first of its kind in Santa Cruz County.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

02/06/2025
Bird flu was detected in a stray cat in San Mateo County. Read on for more information.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

02/06/2025
A local backyard poultry flock has been confirmed by San Mateo County health officials to have been infected with H5N1 bird flu. Read on for more information.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

02/05/2025
Good. Because it's flu season and cases are surging. Read on to learn more.

Santa Cruz Local logo From Santa Cruz Local...

02/03/2025
Image for display with article titled Bird Flu Risks Described by Santa Cruz County Health Officials

Santa Cruz County health officers said bird flu has not shown up in the county, but residents should take precaution.

California Local Pin Marker From Lookout Local...

01/30/2025
Read on for more information about an initiative by Santa Cruz County education officials to open wellness centers at local schools.

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

01/28/2025
Image for display with article titled Study Shows ‘Heavy Concentrations’ of Heavy Metals in Soil After Moss Landing Fire

One day after a group of Santa Cruz County residents collected soil samples from the areas impacted by the Jan. 16 battery storage facility fire at the Moss Landing Power Plant to test for heavy metals, a San Jose State University Professor released the results of a study confirming their suspicions.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/28/2025
HUGE FLAMES BLAZED through the roof of the industrial building. Billowing smoke rose slowly to a plume and moved inland. Teresa Villaruz and her family watched from their car on Highway 1.

The Pajaronian logo From The Pajaronian...

01/24/2025
Image for display with article titled Critics Decry Pesticide Rule as Too Lenient: ‘Why Use It?’

The Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) held a public hearing Jan. 16 at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas to address a new draft regulation for Telone, a pesticide also known by the chemical name 1,3-dichloropropene.

California Local Pin Marker From Lookout Local...

01/16/2025
An update on the progress of battling the battery storage facility fire at Moss Landing.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/16/2025
The LA fires have left domestic workers and day laborers jobless. They may soon be hired for wildfire cleanup work, where they can be exposed to ash and other toxins.

Santa Cruz Local logo From Santa Cruz Local...

01/14/2025
Image for display with article titled Watsonville Residents Push for Stricter Pesticide Rules

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will present details of a pesticide proposal and accept public comments at two more hearings this month.

California Local Pin Marker From Lookout Local...

01/14/2025
Service Employees International Union Local 2015 has ratified an agreement with Santa Cruz County boosting the wages of in-home and long-term care workers. Read on for details.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/14/2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious plan to produce a cheap, generic insulin for the 3.2 million Californians with diabetes is behind the schedule he announced and unlikely to make it to market for several years, industry experts say.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/13/2025
A presumptive case of H5N1 bird flu has been identified in a child who resides in San Francisco, the city’s Department of Public Health announced.The child had a fever and conjunctivitis but did not need to be hospitalized and has since made a full recovery, public health officials said Friday.

KSQD logo From KSQD...

01/10/2025
Image for display with article titled Santa Cruz County’s Mobile Response Unit Saves Lives

As local governments try to stretch their budgets to accommodate a new wave of mental health cases, a new program is trying to shift the emergency response from uniformed officers to trained mental health counselors.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/09/2025
The Newsom administration on Friday is expected to release its next budget proposal. Health care advocates want the governor to fix a Medi-Cal rule that discourages seniors from getting coverage.

California Local Pin Marker From Lookout Local...

12/31/2024
Following the cyberattack on Watsonville Community Hospital, some patients are being notified that their personal information might have been compromised. Read on to learn more.

California Local Pin Marker From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

12/31/2024
Learn more about the Mobile Crisis Response Teams being deployed by Santa Cruz County to provide mental health services throughout the county.